The Game
by Usagi Kagome
Summary: As a non-Player, Neku could see Players, Reapers and Noise and knew a bit about the Game. So when he enters the game, his plan is to avoid the other Players and survive. But his plans are shattered by a fashion crazy girl, a hot-blooded skater and his calm younger sister. Joshua and Mr H aren't helping either. Typical. Non-Yaoi and slightly AU. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello. I hope you like my first TWEWY fan fiction. Sorry if the characters are a bit OOC as it is my first fan fiction of TWEWY and it is slightly AU. But if you think so, put a review up but please no flames. Enjoy. Oh, and I don't own any of The World Ends with You. It owned by Square Enix and is being used for my non-profitable amusement.**

**The World Ends With You: The Game.**

**Chapter 1**

_The Game starts now._

Neku lifted his head up to see the familiar Scramble Crossing. The familiar sounds of people talking about the latest fashion and what pins they should use for their Tin Pin game and what not. Yeah it looked like the normal Shibuya. But Neku knew better.

This isn't the real Shibuya. It's different and dangerous. He's a Player of the Game. _This is just great._ Neku thought. _I went from observing the Game to playing it. This is going to be the week of hell. _

_Beep. Beep. _

The phone in Neku's pocket vibrated. Neku picked up the phone and flicked it on to see the text message.

_**Reach building 104. Time: 20 mins. Fail and face erasure.**_

Neku hissed as he felt a burning sting in his left hand. He looked up at it.

_20:00_

_19:59_

_19:58_

The timer. He was aware that Players had a timer but he didn't know it was burned onto his hand. _Better get going to 104 then. I don't lose before I can even begin. _

_Beep. Beep. _

Neku sucked his teeth. Couldn't these Reapers leave him alone to try and survive the Game? He flicked the phone open.

_**Hello Phones. **_

Neku rolled his eyes. It wasn't a Reaper. It was him.

_**Heard you finally got entered into the Game. Guess it was bound to happen with you being able to see it and all. Anyway, good luck. I know you hate people but you need to make a pact. Find Players and stick with them. Don't fail missions. And stay alive. **_

_**See ya round. **_

_**Mr H. **_

Neku rolled his eyes. He didn't need to be told how to play. He could survive without any help. Without any Players. Without any people. _I don't get people. And I don't want to. _He quickly texted a message back.

_**Yeah, whatever**__. _He was about to send when he hesitated and added something else.

_**Thanks.**_

...

Neku's steps fell into a rhythmic beat as he headed towards the 104 building. Day One may be easy but that didn't mean he was going to leisurely stroll. Running was the quickest way to do it. Suddenly there was a loud croak behind him.

_What in Shibuya...? _

Neku turned round... and his blood froze. Giant frog-like creatures hopped towards him. But Neku knew enough about the Game to know these were freak frogs.

_Noise._

Noise, created from the negative thoughts and feelings of non-Players, were sent to attack Players. And this was one of the many reasons Neku hated people. He couldn't fight them off just yet.

_Looks like I have to make a run for it._

Suddenly Neku heard a panting coming from behind him.

_Great. Now what? _

He turned, only for something to barge into him and send him falling to ground. Neku looked up and glared at his assailant. 'What is your problem? Can't you watch were you're going?'

The person who had crashed into him was a girl around his age. Her black hair reached her neck and her brown eyes wide with fear. She was wearing a plain green long-sleeved jacket, a long white dress, red glasses and black slipper shoes. In her hands was a stuffed toy that looked a little like a pig. Her eyes widened. 'You...You can see me?' Neku rolled his eyes.

'No. I was blown over by a tornado which has mysteriously vanished. Yes, I can see you. What do you want?' The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thank goodness. Can you tell me what's happening? I woke up in the middle of the Corner Street, everyone's ignoring me like I don't exist and these weird creatures are chasing me! And I can't find my friend anyway!'

Neku stared as the girl continued to ramble on. He thought as much. She shouldn't be able to see him. Not unless...

'You're a Player.' The girl blinked.

'A...Player?'

Neku looked at the timer on his hand.

_17:01_

_17:00_

_16:59_

He didn't have time to for this.

_Let's just hope she survives long enough for me to explain_.

Neku turned round to leave and the girl noticed. 'Hey, wait! What's a Player? I still don't understand!' Neku snorted and continued to run, managing to avoid the frog-like Noise as he made his way to 104. The familiar shops and signs illuminated into view.

_Mission complete_. He looked down at his hand to confirm it. No timer. _Day One is complete._

'Hey, wait up.'

He turned to see the girl panting behind him. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? 'Stop following me, Stalker Girl.' The girl huffed in annoyance.

'I'm not a Stalker. My name is Shiki. Shiki Misaki. And you are...'

'...Neku Sakuraba.' He turned away. He was already beginning to feel uncomfortable. He didn't usually talk to people. He never even had a proper confession with his parents.

'Well, it's good to meet you, Neku...'

_Afraid I can't say the same._

'...and I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but I need to understand. What is going on? What's a Player? And what are we playing?'

Neku sighed. This annoying girl had so many questions. If he wanted her off his back, he would probably have to answer her questions. He fiddled a little with his headphones. _This was going to be fun. _

'You're a Player in this game called The Reapers' Game.'

'The Reapers' Game?'

'Yes. If you want to survive, forget what you know about Shibuya. This isn't the Shibuya you know.'

'What do you mean?'

'What I mean is that this is a different Shibuya. See all those people who are ignoring us? They're in the real Shibuya, the one you know. They can't see you, hear you and trust me, they won't help you. Only the other Players can see you. If you can't cope with the rules and lose the Game, you'll be erased.'

'Erased?'

'Think of it like dying. Only about ten times worse and not half as graceful. Get erased and you're deader than dead. Nothing can save you then.'


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello. I hope you are enjoying my first World Ends with You story. I know Shiki's probably a bit OOC and a little annoying but please don't flame me! Constructive criticism is welcome however and will be taken into account in further chapters. Anyway, enjoy. Oh and the World Ends with You doesn't belong to me. It is for my non-profitable amusement. **

**Chapter 2**

The look on Shiki's face showed Neku all he needed to know about what she was thinking. _Shock. Fear. Maybe even anger_. Neku sighed.

_People and their stupidly readable faces_.

'Wh...What?!' she shrieked. 'That's how this "game" is played?! That's barbaric! I didn't even ask to be a part of this game! Why am I a Player?!'

Neku shrugged and turned away. He'd answered enough of her questions. She should just leave him alone now. 'I don't know and frankly, I don't care. I told about the Game. Now, go away and leave me alone.' Shiki raised her eyes at Neku's cold command but stood her ground.

'Don't be mean! There's still so much I don't know about this Game and I still have so many questions.'

'Then ask someone else and leave me alone.' Neku replied 'You may have **accidently** completed today's mission but if you want to understand the Game, ask another Player.'

'Man, that's no way to treat another Player. If you know the Game as well as you seem to, you'll know the more allies, the more likely you are to succeed.'

Neku and Shiki started at the sudden voice and turned to see a tall lean man with orange hair like Neku, (although Neku's hair spiked a bit underneath his headphones while his was straight) sucking a lollipop. He wore a sleeveless black hoodie, jeans and white shoes. He would have looked completely normal...if it wasn't for the odd black wings on his back.

Shiki freaked.

'Wha...! Who is that?'

Neku immediately grew defensive. Judging from those odd wings, he'd say...

'He's a Reaper.'

The man smiled, looking rather impressed. 'Not bad. You obviously did your homework. Name's Koki Kariya. I'd ask for yours but seeing that you will probably be erased by the third day, it would be such a waste of effort. Need to keep my energy level high you know.' Neku raised an eyebrow. He forgot. There were some real nutcases among the Reapers. Which was probably what made them so dangerous.

'Reaper?! What's a Reaper?!' Shiki shrieked

'Must I spit it out?' Neku snapped irritably 'They are the guys who want to kill us!'

'Not true.' Kariya protested 'Killing Players is too much effort. We leave that to the Noise. We only come after Players on the last day. Shame you probably won't be around to see the last day. Anyway, ciao.'

With that, Kariya turned and walked off, leaving Neku and a rather bemused Shiki. The news of this rule was actually one of the only rules Neku **didn't** know about the Game. It provided Neku with a source of comfort but it also meant that the last day was probably the hardest.

_I've got to survive this. _

Neku began to walk off. Maybe he should head to WildKat for some of Mr H's advice. If he didn't give him a lecture on his "trust issues" that was.

'Hey, Neku. Wait.' Neku sighed. This girl doesn't know when to give up.

'What do you want, Stalker?'

'I told you! My name is Shiki!'

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. What do you want?' Shiki hesitated before asking.

'That Reaper...who that person was said the more allies you have, the higher your chances of surviving the Game. Is this true?' Neku didn't like the way this was going but he answered anyway.

'...Yeah. The more allies you have, the more chances you have of surviving the fights. If you survive the fights, you'll survive the Game. Why are you asking?'

'...'

'...'

'... Shouldn't we team up?'

The question took Neku by surprise. The surprise was soon replaced by annoyance and maybe a bit of anger. _Me? Team up? Yeah, right. _ 'No.'

It was Shiki's turn to be surprised. 'No? Why not?'

'Why not? I'll tell you why. Because I'll be stuck for an entire week with some weak-willed, selfish kid who will tell me all of their stupid grievances and will probably get me erased. I'll take my chances.' Shiki's mouth dropped at the statement and she seemed to go red in what seemed like anger.

_That should put her off asking me to be her Partner for a while. _Neku turned away.

'Look, Neku. I can't say I like you. Or that I agree with you. But, I don't want to get erased. So that means I can't lose! Surely that should be the same with you. I'm not asking that you become my friend, even though that would make it easier. I'm asking you to help me survive this. If we do this, we can help each other. Please, Neku.'

_In this Game, I can't fail._

The words rang in Neku's head, triggering a painful memory. Neku swallowed and shook his head, focusing on what Shiki had said. To be honest, he couldn't figure out which one was worse- partnering with someone or getting erased. But he supposed he'd rather partner up than be erased and there was a lot more at stake than his life if he lost. He wouldn't lose. He couldn't lose.

_I won't lose. _

'... Remember that this partnership is built on the one purpose of getting out of the Game alive and that I'm not going to become your friend.' Shiki's face lit up as Neku gave her his reluctant approval. 'Yes, I understand. Thanks, Neku.' Neku rolled his eyes.

_Yeah, yeah. Whatever. _

'...Good. Then let's make a Pact.' Neku felt a warm feeling and the strange presence of another person at the back of his mind. His and Shiki's bodies glowed in a bright light which suddenly vanished as soon as it appeared. That was it. Shiki was his Partner. _I have a feeling I'm going to regret this_.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi Guys! Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. I've been pretty busy so I haven't been able to post this yet. Hope you continue to like the story and I'm loving the reviews. Keep the advice coming. Oh and The World Ends With You doesn't belong to me. It is being used for my own non-profitable amusment.**

**Chapter 3**

Neku stretched as he walked down Scramble Crossing. Thankfully, he hadn't had to talk to Shiki some more because the Reapers had decided to move on to the next day. Speaking of the annoying little stalker, Neku couldn't see her.

_So much for the Pact. _Neku sighed and turned on his phone. He'd better get ready for the first mission. 'Good morning, Neku!'

_Oh, great. _

'You still following me, Stalker?'

'I told you! My name is Shiki! Anyway...I had a great nap even though I don't remember falling sleeping.'

Neku sighed. The little idiot...

'The Reapers' have moved on to the next day.'

'The next day?'

'Yes, the next day. Must I have a parrot?' The snappy comment obviously worked because Shiki stayed quiet until he finished. 'The Game lasts for a certain amount of days. Every day, the Players are given a mission that they must complete in a set amount of time. Fail and you'll get erased. If the Noise don't take you out, then running out of time probably will.'

_Beep. Beep._

'Speak of the devil...'

Neku flicked his phone open while Shiki stumbled for hers and followed suit.

_**Retrieve a Player tool, guarded by the loyal companion. Time: 60 mins. Fail and face erasure. **_

Neku scolded. Well, that was a lot of help. He never liked riddles. _Great._ His hand stung and a gasp of pain for Shiki told him it was the same for her. He looked down on his hand.

1:00:00

59:59

59:58

'Arggh! What is this?'

Neku rolled his eyes. Three seconds into the mission and she was already testing his patience.

'It's the timer, you idiot. Now let's solve this riddle and get this over with. A Player tool? Guarded by the loyal companion? What does that mean?'

'Maybe it's a metaphor for something that is associated with loyalty?'

'Like what?'

'A sidekick? Like in movies?'

_Oh brother..._

'That could be anybody. Or...anything.'

'What about a cat? Like my adorable Mr Mew?' Shiki waved her black stuffed doll. Neku raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what surprised him most- the girl's evident naivety or the fact the doll was suppose to be a cat. 'That's a cat? It looks like a little piggy.'

'Hey! I know he's my first homemade doll but you can easily tell he's a cat!'

'No, you can't. Can we please stay on the subject?'

Shiki stroked her chin and then her face lit up.

'A dog! Dogs are associated with loyalty!' Neku sighed.

'Yes but that doesn't help us with the clu-.' Suddenly it hit. 'The Statue of Hachiko...'

'Hachiko was a dog with the up most loyalty. His statue was put up to remind us of it. That's where the tool is!' Neku nodded. Finally he was getting somewhere. Maybe this girl wasn't exactly useless. 'Let's go.' Neku raced down the street with Shiki following close behind him. He looked at his hand.

56:02

56:01

56:00

He had to be quick. It could take a tiny thing to turn the situation from an easy task to a disaster. He stopped at the crossing light, allowing Shiki to catch up with him. 'Why do you...always run...so fast?'

_To shake off people. And Noise. _

'You have to be quick to play the Game. If you can't keep up, I'll leave you.'

'But we're Partners. We have to survive this. **Together**.'

Neku snorted. Yeah, right. Like anybody really thought like that.

'I'm a Float-or-Sink Partner. Just like the rest of society. Get use to it.' The lights changed to green and Neku took off, leaving Shiki frozen in shock for a few minutes his words ran in her ears.

_I'm a Float-or-Sink Partner. Just like the rest of society. _

_Just like the rest of society? Did something happen which made him this...mad?_

...

It didn't take long for both Neku and Shiki to reach the famous statue. The bronze dog stood proudly on the pedestal in the middle of the square and gleamed as Neku and Shiki approached. 'We made it!' Shiki cheered happily, causing Neku to roll his eyes.

_Of all the useless things to say... _

'Yes, we've made it. Now can we please get this tool and preferably save our lives?'

'Right. Let's see.' Shiki walked along the side of the statue checking the floor for any sign of a tool while Neku looked on the pedestal.

_Great, nothing. Nothing but three CAT pins..._ Hold on! 'This is it!' Shiki jumped at his side.

'What? What? Did you find it?'

'No, I found a bone. Yes, I found it. These pins are the Players' tools.'

'...Pins?'

Neku sighed. Did he have to explain everything to her?

'Yes, pins. These are ordinary pins in the real Shibuya but in the Game, these are the one of the differences of winning or losing. These pins help us to defeat Noise and stay in the Game.'

'...How? And what are Noise?'

'By giving you abilities to can hurt and beat the Noise, idiot.' Shiki made a face at the insult that Neku ignored. 'As for your last question...'

Suddenly a familiar loud croaking filled Neku's ears.

_Oh shoot._

Neku turned slowly and Shiki followed his gaze, only to shriek at what she saw. The Noise frogs edged closer to Neku and Shiki, their eyes filled with hatred and malice.

_Oh, shoot! Shoot! Shoot! _

'Well, you wanted know what Noise are. There's your answer.'


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, Guys. Since it's the last few days of school, I seem to have more time on my hands to work on my stories so hopefully I'll be posting more often. Special thanks to Amulet Misty for your advice which I'm trying my best to follow and I'm glad you and all my other followers are following me and hope you enjoy my story. The mission however isn't quite finished yet and as for Beat and Rhyme, sorry but it might take a while before Neku and Shiki bump into them. Anyway, I've been going on for long enough. Please enjoy the story. And The World Ends With You doesn't belong to me. It is for my non-profitable amusement.**

**Chapter 4 **

Neku grit his teeth as the Noise began to edge closer to him and Shiki. They were surrounded by Noise with three pins which they had no idea how the hell they worked, with no place to run and the timers ticking away.

_As far as situations go, this really can't get any worse._

Neku looked at the pins in his hand and then at the Noise. Well, you never really know until you try...right? At this point, he'd rather attempt to get out this situation alive rather than just stand here and get erased. He wasn't going down without a fight.

_I have to survive._ '...Stalker?'

'Neku! I told you! My name is...forget it. What is it?'

'Do me a favour.'

'What?'

'...Stay out of my way.' Neku fastened one of the pins onto his top just as the Noise jumped on top of them, causing Shiki to shriek.

_Let's see what this pin can do. _

Flames burst out of nowhere as the Noise jumped back, howling from the fire that had burst from nowhere. Shiki blinked and turned to stare at Neku, her jaw dropping. '...Neku? Was that you?'

'No, fire just appears here in the Game. Yes, it was me. Close your mouth. Something might fly in.'

Shiki looked as if she wasn't sure whether to be angry once again at Neku's sarcasm or be shocked and fearful of what he just did.

_This is why I hate people. Even when they don't talk, they don't shut up. _

'Do something useful and look after these.'

Neku shoved the other two pins at Shiki before she could say anything and raced towards the Noise.

_Here goes nothing. _

Some of the smaller Noise jumped to attack him but with a flick of his wrist, flames sprouted, licking at the Noise. Neku managed to tackle one of the bigger Noise, causing it to crash into others like a bowling ball hitting pins. The Noise began to collect themselves, only for Neku to light them up like a bomb fire. For the first time in quite a long time, in a rather sadistic way, Neku allowed himself a little smirk.

_Heh. Too easy._

Suddenly, Neku became aware of Noise surrounding him.

_I had to say that. _

Neku spun round sharply, flames dancing and spiralling around him. Sparks caught onto Noise burning them until they disintegrated. Neku panted. This isn't looking good. He really had his work cut out for him here. More Noise crept around him, eager for another round. Neku straightened up. If they wanted a fight, he'd give them on.

_I'm not going to be erased without a fight._

...

There were not many things that irate Shiki but she could think of a few. She always got annoyed when her stitching went wrong and she had to start the whole design all over again. It got on her nerves when one of the boys in her school purposely snatched her and Eri's design sketches and threatened to do anything and everything to them. She hated the fact she was just watching Neku fight all these monsters by himself. Yes, he was pretty much a jerk with his sarcastic and rather hurtful comments but he was trying to help her survive this "Game" even if the only reason was she had made a Pact with him. And now he was fighting all these "Noise", with her unable to do anything. She not only felt helpless, she felt bad. She looked down at her hand with the timer etched in her hand.

31:02

31:01

31:00

_If the Noise don't take you out, then running out of time probably will. _Neku's warning words rang through her ears. That meant if they don't finish the mission in time AND defeat the Noise, they were doomed.

_I have to do something. _

Shiki looked at the pins and clutched the hand they were in. 'Please, please, please! Whatever you did for Neku, please work for me. Please, please!'

Nothing happened.

'Come on! Please! I need this to work! Neku needs this to work! Please!'

No dice.

_Argg! Why isn't this working?! Stupid pins! Stupid game! Stupid-_

Suddenly, she felt something move on her arm.

'Huh?'

She looked down.

Mr Mew slummed limp in her hand.

She stared at him.

Then he looked up and stared back.

...

Neku stole a glance around him as another wave of Noise circled him for Round 10. Or was it eleven? He'd lost count. He'd seen how Players fight Noise. He knew what to do and what not to do. Getting yourself tired out was one of "don'ts". Which was what he was doing. If he didn't end this, he was going to get erased.

He couldn't afford to get erased.

He couldn't afford to lose the Game.

_...Darn! _

Suddenly a Noise leapt up at him. Cursing himself for letting his guard down, Neku put his hands up to defend himself ...only for the blow to never come.

_What in Shibuya...? _

'Yeah! Go, Mr Mew!'

Neku blinked. Did he hear correctly? Neku put his hands down to see Shiki's piggy doll, standing on two legs on its own.

_...Did I get hit on the head? _

He was aware the pins could do some weird stuff but this was new to him.

'Hey, close your mouth. You might swallow a fly.' Shiki teased as she raced to Neku's side.

_Hardy har har. _ 'Stalker...what is your piggy doing?'

'I told you! He's not a pig! He's a cat! And he's helping me fight.'

The Noise, while startled at this new opponent, edged closer to the two teens and begin to crouch. Neku steadied himself.

_They're preparing to attack. _

'Go, Mr Mew! Attack!' Shiki commanded, thrusting her hand out as a non-verbal order. Mr Mew charged towards the Noise and began to scratch the Noise with large invisible claws.

_What the-! _

Enraged, the Noise swiped back only for Mr Mew to nimbly dodge and scratch again, powerful enough to cause the Noise to disintegrate. Neku looked at Shiki only to see her moving her hand and fingers like she was pulling on invisible puppet strings.

_The pin allows her to control the doll! _

Looks like for all he knew, there were still some things he didn't know about the Game.

'Cool, huh?' Shiki turned to grin at him. 'I'm not controlling him but if I just move my hand like this, he'll do what I want.'

'...Stalker, I told you to stay out of my way.'

'And I told you we're Partners. We have to survive this. **Together**.'

Neku rolled his eyes.

_Spoken like the stupid, ignorant idealist I'd knew she was. _

While Neku hated to rely on people, the help was welcome to defeat this wave of Noise. And the other Noise had been crowding around seemed to be backing off, unwilling to have to face two Players that were Partners. He could play along. At least for now...

'...So, you're not completely useless. Good. Let's finish this.' Fire danced at his fingers as he readied himself. Mr Mew leapt at Shiki's side. The two looked at each other and then launched an attack.

'GO!'

...

With Shiki's help, it didn't take long to defeat the Noise that had surrounded them. The other Noise had backed off and the area was quiet at least for now. Shiki leaned on the statue panting with Mr Mew prowling around her and Neku's feet and Neku looking down at his hand. The timer had gone. Neku sighed a breath of relief.

_Day Two complete. _

'We make a good team, don't you think?'

Neku turned to see Shiki smiling at him as she came.

Neku shrugged. Yeah, they did. So what? This was only useful getting rid of Noise. What was there to be happy about? '...Think what you want. I don't care.'

Shiki frowned, obviously annoyed at his behaviour. 'Don't be like that! We just fought a load of Noise, whatever they're called and that's all you can say!

_...More or less. _

'I mean, I had to literally come and save you a few moments back there and you're pretending that never happened!

_Because you never saved me. _

'I mean, a "thanks Shiki" or a "yeah, we are a good team" would be nice, you know...'

'...Thank you, Stalker.'

Shiki froze as if she hadn't quite expected for Neku to actually say the words "thank you." To be honest, Neku hadn't expected to say it. His mouth had almost moved its own.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _

Shiki's shocked face quickly brightened into a smile. '...You're welcome, Neku.'

Neku turned away. Enough of all that. They had a lot of work to do if they wanted to survive the Game.

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's go.' Neku started to head towards the Scramble Crossing with Shiki happily skipping behind him.

...

'_Have you seen that Player? The one in the headphones?' _

_'__That one with that girl with the cat? Yeah, why?'_

_'Watch out for him. He's special.' _

_'How come?' _

_'He's the "Special Case."'_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello Guys. I first apologise if Mr H is a bit OOC as I don't know his character as well as I (think!) know the others. Secondly, I'm making up the missions which I don't really know the type of one's the game makes so I'm sorry if you think they suck. I hope you enjoy this chapter with Mr H. The World Ends With You doesn't belong to me. It is being used for my non-profitable amusement.**

**P.S: Also, does anybody know what kind of power Rhyme uses in her time during the game? If you do, an answer in a review would be much appreciated. **

**Chapter 5**

'Good morning, Neku!'

Neku sighed. He had forgotten that the Reapers' could move on to the next day. And to think he had another four days of this.

'You're in a good mood today, Stalker?'

'Neku, can't you call me by my name?'

'Stop following me like a stalker and maybe I won't call you one.'

'We're Partners. Aren't we suppose to stay together?'

'Being my Partner does not give you the excuse of being a stalker, Stalker.'

Shiki sighed but she immediately went back to her cheerful self. 'Anyway, so what's the next mission? I'm ready to take it on!'

Neku raised an eyebrow.

_Why is she so cheerful?_ _She is aware the Reapers are out to erase us, right?_

'...Is there a particular reason why you're so cheerful today?'

'Oh well there's two' Shiki admitted 'I've been really excited since Mr Mew came to life yesterday. I've always secretly wanted that to happen as a kid so it's like a dream come true!

_From what you just said, I'd say you're still a kid. Your piggy's alive. So? It's suppose to help you survive the Game? What's to get excited about? _

'And after that mission yesterday, I feel as we could take on all the Reapers! If we keep going the way we're going and we'll beat this Game hands down.'

_That's supposing we complete all the missions, survive all the Noise, beat all the Reapers, not to mention a possible run in with the Conductor or the Composer. Yeah, beating the game can't be a problem. _

_Beep. Beep. _

'The mission.'

Neku and Shiki flicked their phones on.

_**Deliver a package from the black and white zebra to the wild cat. Time: 40 mins. Fail and face erasure.**_

Neku and Shiki winced as a familiar hot burning stung their hands. 'The timer.' Neku confirmed.

_40:00_

_39:59_

_39:58_

'Another riddle. What does this mean?'

Neku crossed his arms. Evidently, this was a pretty obvious riddle but he couldn't quite figure it out. Something caught his eye and he looked up.

_Well, that solves the riddle about the zebra. _Neku walked towards the object.

'Hey, Neku! Where are you going?' Shiki raced towards to find Neku picking up a brown roughly wrapped package at the corner of the Scramble Crossing. 'Huh? Is that the package?'

_No, it 's really large letter. _

'I think we can assume so.' Neku nodded. 'So, that solves the riddle of the "zebra". Now, what about the "wild cat"?'

'Well, the zebra was the Scramble Crossing so maybe the wild cat is a place using a metaphor.'

Neku rolled his eyes.

_Helpful. _

'Yes but what...oh.'

'Oh? Have you figured it out?'

'...' The penny had pretty much dropped for Neku. The wild cat was the "WildKat". Mr H's cafe. They had to make a delivery to Mr H.

_This is going to be fun. _

Neku turned and began to run down the street to the familiar route to the cafe.

'Hey, Neku! Wait up! Have you figured it out?'

'Pretty much. Now hurry up Stalker and do what you do best.'

'You're so mean!' Shiki yelled after him as she and Mr Mew chased Neku out of Scramble Crossing.

...

Neku sighed as he and Shiki walked down the familiar route along Cat Street to the cafe. Shiki had pretty much lost Neku a total of three times on their way to WildKat so he had reluctantly relented and walked at a pace Shiki could keep up with. Neku looked at his hand to check the timer.

_31:02_

_31:01_

_31:00_

They had wasted so much time when this mission could been over five minutes ago.

_People are so annoying._

'Hey, Neku.' Neku sighed.

'Yes, Stalker? What do you want?'

'...Well, I've realised how little we know each other...

_Yes, and I'd like to keep it that. _

'And you know, seeing that we're Partners and we're going to be having a long week ahead of us I was thinking...what's your dream?'

The question caused Neku to freeze. His...what?!

'My...my what?'

'Your dream. You know, what you want to do when you're older?' Shiki asked innocently, while Mr Mew prowled behind her.

_Dream? What use is a dream? People have dreams only for them to shatter in their faces. Dreams are for stupid idealists who have been watching too many cartoons. _

Neku shrugged and turned away from her. 'Dreams are stupid little ideals that people who have nothing better to do make up. No, I don't have dreams.'

It must have been a sign he had been hanging around Shiki for too long because he didn't even have to look at her to know she was offended by what he said.

'Neku! That's not true! Dreams are things that give us a goal and inspire us to do things. They, and friends, are one of the many things that help us keep going.'

_Friends? Yeah, right. _

'Want to know what my dream is?'

_Not really._

Shiki ignored his mental answer. 'I want to be a famous fashion designer! I always wanted to be since I was every little.'

Neku raised an eyebrow.

_A fashion designer_.

'...You want absent minded girls coming into the shops and squealing over some trend you created?' he asked cynically.

'Not exactly how I was going to put it but in a nutshell, yes. Eri and I always said we'd make our own brand in a little shop and make the most stylish clothes in Shibuya.'

'Eri?' Neku asked.

'Oh, she's my friend. She wants to be a designer too.'

There was that word again. Friend.

Neku snorted. _Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming. _

'Eri was the first person to ever really notice me in school.' Shiki continued 'Or more like, she was the first person to ever notice Mr Mew. I was so surprised when she and I became friends. I mean, Eri is one of those popular girls whose smart and funny and I'm, well, not. And she's the one who gave me confidence in myself. She helped me realise I could chase my dream, regardless of what all the other girls said. I own her a lot.'

_ You're not just my Partner! You're my friend and friends stick together through thick and thin! _

Neku sighed willing himself to forget the painful reminder of how he knew friendship was really nothing more than a fantasy made up by people. Friends were just people talk to pretending that they're interested and that they were there for you when really, they were ready to stab you in the back if it helped their own goals.

_I don't get people. Never have. Never will. _

'So Neku, do you have friends waiting for you to win to the Game and come home?'

Neku turned so Shiki couldn't see his face. '...'

_No. _

Suddenly the familiar little cafe appeared next to the building they were passing.

_Save the bell. _'This is the place.' Neku quickstepped to the door before Shiki could force him to answer her question. She caught up with him at the front door.

'...A cafe?'

_You don't say. Gold medal Sherlock. _'Yeah. This is WildKat cafe. I go here sometimes.'

'The "wild cat"! So that's how you figured the riddle out! But isn't it going to be weird if we hand the owner a package they probably don't remember ordering?'

'No, this owner's involved in the Game. He knows what's going on.'

Shiki's face dropped into a look of horror. 'He's involved in the Game?! Wait, he's a Reaper?!'

_The little idiot... _ 'No, you idiot. He's not a Reaper. He's on the Players' side. He's my...friend.'

It seemed a little odd describing Mr H as a friend but luckily he said the right thing, no matter how awkward he felt and Shiki calmed down, breathing a sigh of relief.

'Okay, if that's the case, let's go!'

Neku pushed the door open, ignoring the CLOSED sigh, knowing Mr H was probably late to open the shop.

Again.

He slipped in. 'Mr H?'

Shiki poked her head in, admiring the little cafe before she followed Neku. 'Wow. This place is so cute.'

Neku raised an eyebrow. He had a lot of adjectives to describe WildKat but cute wasn't one of them.

'Well, thank you. Not many people think my little place here is cute.'

Neku and Shiki turned to the sound of the voice to see a tall and rather lean man in a white shirt with a black waistcoat on top. Shades rested on the bridge of his nose and his hands were tucked into his trousers where his sandals poked out. 'Well, well. You finally showed up, Phones. You know since you entered the Game, I have had less customers come in. You must have been my lucky charm.'

'Or maybe it's because I'm your only customer.' Neku deadpanned.

Mr H shrugged 'Point.' He looked up and noticed Shiki. 'I don't believe it. You actually followed that advice I gave you and found yourself a Partner. Not bad, Phones.'

'...This is only until we win the Game, Mr H. There's nothing to get excited about.'

'I suppose not but it's a start. Maybe it's a sign that you're beginning to expand your world.'

'...'

Mr H then turned to Shiki. 'And where are my manners? I'm Sanae. Sanae Hanekoma. It's a mouthful, l know, so call me Mr H. Phones does. And you are...?'

'Oh, I'm Shiki Misaki. It's nice to meet you sir.'

'Please, no sir. Mr H is fine. A friend of Phones is a friend of mine.'

Neku rolled his eyes.

_Oh brother. _

'Anyway, so Phones why are you here? Do want to know more about the Game? Or are you here to actually buy something?'

Neku had forgotten why he and Shiki were here. Good thing Mr H reminded him. 'Actually, we have a mission to give you this. Here.' Neku handed over the package to Mr H who accepted the package, inspecting it before stuffing it into his pocket. Neku noticed the timer had disappeared.

_Day Three complete._

'Ah, thank you Phones. I've been waiting for this package to arrive. You two must the first people to complete the mission today. You used that route I showed you?'

'...Yeah. Didn't bump into a single Noise.'

'See? Didn't I tell you?'

'Umm...what's in the package?' Shiki interrupted.

'Knowing the Reapers, probably a few Pins they want me hold onto until a Player can use them.' Mr H replied. 'Not many Players found Pins that day so they'll probably be looking for them.'

Neku turned to see Shiki looking as confused as ever.

_Did she listen to me outside?_

'Mr H is a guide for the Players who are playing the Game. He can give you tips on how to play. If you know where to find him.'

'...So if you're not a Reaper, then what are you?'

Neku felt like face palming.

_Why would you ask that?! _

Mr H chuckled at Shiki's question. 'Just a guy working in his cafe, following the orders of the Composer. That's all.'

'The Composer?'

'That's the guy in charge of Shibuya.' Neku answered.

'What? But...we have a government and a mayor! There's no "Composer" in charge of anything!'

'Idiot. The Composer is the one who made Shibuya the way it is. He's in charge of Reapers and he's the one made up the Game. He's practically in control of everything.'

'Phones is right. He pretty much is. No of us can disobey the will of the Composer. Not even the Reapers. He "composes" everything.'

Shiki looked from Neku to Mr H in a bemused fashion. '...How do you two know so much about the Game?'

Mr H smiled and shrugged. 'It's in my job description. Phones here bumped into my little place one day and I realized he could see the Game so I told pretty much everything he knows.'

'I didn't bump into WildKat, I was chasing by freaking Noise into it.' Neku corrected.

'How could you be chased into it? This cafe repels Noise.'

'You know what I mean, Mr H.'

Shiki looked at the two of them and smiled cheerfully. 'Wow. He really is your friend. For five seconds I was thinking that you were lying to me.'

'...Mr H is one of the few people I can tolerate. Friend is just a word I said so you could understand what I meant.'

_And to get you to complete the mission. _

'I'm I someone you can tolerate?'

'I made a Pact with you. I **have** to tolerate you.'

'Hey!'

'I have to tolerate you until the end of the Game. That's just painful for me.'

'Hey! Now you're just being mean!'

Mr H watched the two have their talk in silence. He shook his head and sighed. 'Still aren't expanding your world I see, Phones?'

Neku looked up to Mr H and simply stared at him.

'...'

Mr H leaned on the counter and looked Neku straight in the eye, the lax and easygoing side replaced with a strange seriousness that didn't suit him. 'You know, the world ends with you, Phones. It ends at your boarders and if you close them off, your world becomes cold and unbearable. Expand your world. Push your horizons out as far as they'll go if you want enjoy your life.'

_And there it is. Mr H's famous "you need to solve your trust issues" speech. _

Neku had heard this speech a thousand times. He knew he had to expand his world. He knew that Mr H was trying to get him to be more social and have more friends. He knew how cold and unbearable his own "world" felt.

But he was still ready to take the chance. He couldn't open up his world. Not to people anyway.

'...I know.' There was a long silence before Neku broke it. 'I'm going to use the bathroom.' He left before Shiki or Mr H could stop him. He wasn't going to hang around while Mr H asked him for the thousandth time if Neku had paid attention.

And how he probably knew for the thousandth time that he hadn't.

...

Shiki frowned in confusion as Neku left for the bathroom leaving Mr H and her in the cafe. She had no idea what any of that speech meant or if it was just part of the Game.

_What does that mean? The world ends with me? _

'Hum? You wondering what I was telling Phones?'

Shiki started to see Mr H looking up at her. She hadn't meant to say her thoughts out loud. 'Well, umm, I was just wondering. What do you mean by "world"? Has that got something to do with the Game?'

Mr H chuckled. 'No, that's got nothing to do with the Game. See, your world is basically everything about you. Your hobbies, what you like, what you dislike, your past, everything. That's your world. It's all very good having a world but it's only when we expand on it that we can enjoy our lives to the full.'

'So...we can only really enjoy our lives by opening up to people and trusting them?'

'You got that quicker than Phones did. Not bad.'

Shiki raised an eyebrow. She had been meaning to ask this but she hadn't really managed to. 'Mr H, just out of curiosity, why do you call Neku "Phones"?'

'Cause of those CAT headphones he's always wearing. See, Phones is using those because those headphones help him to block out other people and isolate his world from theirs. He always wears them, no matter what.'

'...Why does Neku do that? He seems to have this really negative views on everything like people and dreams. Why is that?'

'Errr...well, let's just say that quite a few things happened to Phones to make him like that. Being able to see the Game as a non-Player didn't help.'

Shiki nodded, silently processing the new information that she had received.

_Poor Neku. Something really terrible must have happened to make him like this. _

'Hey, you mind doing me a favour?'

Shiki blinked at Mr H's sudden question. 'Huh? Oh, yeah sure.'

'Will you open up his world?'

The question took Shiki completely by surprise. 'I'm sorry. What?'

'Will you open up Phones' world? You know, when I sent him that text telling him to find a Partner, I didn't think he'd actually take it. But he did. He made a Pact with you. I know Phones will be a pain and I know Phones will push you away but if anyone can break into anyone's world, it's their Partners. If you break into his world, then maybe, just maybe, Phones might finally start to expand his world by himself. But you have to make the first move. Can you do it?'

Shiki stroked her chin. She'd seen how Neku acted and she heard some of his views on the world. Changing someone's mindset wasn't exactly something she specialised in and Neku's mindset was probably no exception. But if she could change some of that cynical attitude, some of that suspicion and turn it into something else, maybe he'd be a nicer person. Maybe, just maybe, they could be friends.

_I want you let me in, Neku. I want to get inside your world. _

She looked up and nodded. 'Sure! I'll try my hardest.'

Mr H smiled at the girl's answer. 'Thanks kid.'

The two turned to see Neku re-entering the room, hands in pockets. 'Hey, Stalker. Let's go. See you later, Mr H.'

'Bye, Phones. Remember to crash here occasionally if you need help.'

'Bye, Mr H.'

'See ya, kid. And thanks again.'

Shiki followed Neku out of the door, her face set with determination. She would gain Neku's trust. She would get into his "world".

_Let me in, Neku. Let in me into your world. _

**A/N: P.P.S.: Yikes! This is a pretty long chapter. I'll try and keep it shorter next time. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello again, guys. After much waiting, Neku and Shiki are finally going to meet Beat and Rhyme. I again apologise if Beat and/or Rhyme seem a bit OOC and I want to warn you that apart from Rhyme's "Haste makes waste" and "Fools rush in" I'll be attempting to make up some of her sayings if I feel a need to. Also, I don't really know what Rhyme's pin allows her to during her time in the Game and it seems nobody else does either so I'm going to act on information I found online. Hope you enjoy this chapter introducing Beat and Rhyme. The World Ends With You doesn't belong to me. It is being used for my non-profitable amusement. **

**Chapter 6**

_You're not just my Partner! You're my friend and friends stick together through thick and thin! _

_If I win the Game on time, I'll come back in life in time to celebrate Mum's birthday! _

_When I win this Game, I'll never waste another day again! I'll spend every day working towards my dreams and remember what it means to be alive! _

_Hey, Neku. You know...I use to think you were a freak before I entered the Game. Now I know why you were always talking to yourself. You're not a freak. You're actually pretty cool. _

_Neku, do you think when me and my Partners win the Game, you'll consider being our friend? I mean...you kind of already are. _

...

Neku opened his eyes waking up from his troubled dreams of people he'd rather forget. He shook his head. It had been ages since he had dreamed or even thought of any of those people.

_What was all that about? _

Neku sighed and shook his head. Stupid little idealists. He couldn't afford to think like they had. He had to remember the possibility of him getting erased, the possibility of people dragging him down, the possibility that he could make one wrong move...and it would all be over.

_I can't afford to lose. _

Neku stretched as he told himself to forget about his dream and focus on the Game. He noticed how Shiki didn't seem to be up yet.

_Weird. Stalker's usual up bright and early. _

'Hey, Stalker! Rise and shine, we have to be ready for the mission!'

No reply.

Neku surveyed the area only to see that Shiki wasn't anywhere in the Scramble Crossing.

_Where is that little idiot?! Don't all Players start back on Scramble Crossing when they move on to the next day? _

_Beep. Beep. _

Looks like he'd have to deal with it later. Neku flicked his phone on.

_**Seek the Partner that we have hidden and defeat the Reapers that seek you both. Time: 90 mins. Fail and face erasure. **_

Neku's eyes widened as he went over the text.

_Damn! This is bad! _

Making a Pact with another Player was great technique to win the Game but there was also a catch. Players that weren't that experienced playing the Game found that they were less able to beat the Noise when they were separated and it lead to them getting erased if they were ever separated from their Partners. And if Neku knew something about Shiki, it was that she was clueless about how the Game worked. She'd be erased before she could "boo".

_And this is why I didn't want to make a Pact. _

Neku winced as the timer once again burned into his hand. He looked down on his hand.

1:30:00

1:29:59

1:29:58

Neku sighed. Great. Now he had to find Shiki and bail her out of whatever trouble she was bound to get herself into.

_Great. Just great. _

Neku didn't what to have to do this. It would mean he'd have to get into the heads of all the non-Players of Shibuya but if he wanted to complete the mission he had no choice. He had to Scan the area.

Scanning was a technique used by Players to pick Noise that was radiating off of non-Players. Because Scanning was like telepathy, it allowed the Players to hear the negative thoughts that were going on in peoples' heads and see what was creating the Noise. Normally this wasn't possible without a common Player Pin but luckily, seeing the Game as a non-Player wasn't Neku's only talent. If he could home in on the non-Players thoughts, a trail of Noise would probably lead him to Shiki. After all, Noise often picked on Players that were on their own.

_Here it goes. _

Neku touched the speaker of his headphones lightly and closed his eyes, willing for his mind to open to the music of other people's thoughts.

'_Focus._'

The familiar sound of voices echoed in his head, filing him with the feelings and thoughts of others. Admiration for CAT's work, happiness over the latest trend in clothes and disappointment in bad grades washed over Neku but nothing particularly strong enough to create Noise.

_Come on! Focus. _

Neku concreted harder, his Scan reaching out further to more minds, their voices echoing in his head.

_Still nothing. Looks like I'll have try something else-whoa! _

Neku flinched as his mind suddenly banged into a large trail of Noise. The Noise radiating that group of people was off the charts. And they seemed to be heading to... 'Cadoi City.'

Well, it didn't guarantee Shiki would be there but it was a start. Neku raced towards Cadoi City, ignoring the Noise that were trying to gather and attack him. All he could hope was that Shiki was there.

_Stalker, you had better not die on me! _

...

Shiki stretched as she and Mr Mew walked down the street. She had found herself having great night sleeps since she had entered the Game. Maybe it was because the Reapers moved to next day pretty abruptly so she hadn't even realised she'd gone to sleep. The naps however were much welcome.

Shiki looked around the street and began to realise she wasn't in Scramble Crossing where she and Neku usually found themselves when the mission was completed. Instead she was in Dogenzaka, the neon lights and signposts telling her so.

_I wonder what's with the change of scenery today? Oh, well. It's probably nothing important. Still... _

'Hey, Neku. How come we're not in Scramble Crossing today?'

No response.

'Neku, are you awake?'

Still no response.

Shiki looked around the heads of non-Players but the familiar pair of headphones where nowhere in sight.

_Weird. Why would the Reapers move on to the next day and me and Neku get separated? _

_Beep. Beep. _

Mr Mew returned to Shiki's side as she fumbled for her phone and flicked it on.

_**Seek the Partner that we have hidden and defeat the Reapers that seek you both. Time: 90 mins. Fail and face erasure.**_

Shiki's eyes widen at the mission. No wonder she and Neku had been separated! It was part of today's mission! A hot sting on her hand caused her to yelp a little. The timer.

1:30:00

1:29:59

1:29:58

Shiki freaked.

_Argg! What I'm going to do?! Neku knows more about the Game than I do and he's not here! What happens if a really powerful Noise attacks us both and we're not there? And how am I suppose to defeat a Reaper if I don't know anything about- okay Shiki. Calm down. I'll find Neku. I just need to calm down and think about where he could be._

'Okay, Mr Mew.' Shiki muttered, more to herself than to Mr Mew who turned his head in her direction none the less. 'Let's think about this.' Where would the Reapers hide Neku? Shiki stroked her chin. She couldn't think of any good ideas. Maybe Neku had woken up in Scramble Crossing where she was suppose to be and was looking for her. She wasn't sure but it was a start. She should at least try to find him. 'Alright. Come on, Mr Mew.' Her loyal stuffed cat obediently followed as Shiki raced down Dogenzaka to Scramble Crossing.

_Hang on, Neku! I'm coming! _

...

Neku slowed down to a walk as he took a shortcut that he knew that would lead him straight towards Cadoi City. Luckily for him, Neku had lived in Shibuya long enough to know quite a few short cuts to get him to places he needed to go to. He just hoped his gut instinct was right and Shiki really was in Cadoi City. If she wasn't, he would have wasted a lot of time that he couldn't afford to lose. Not mention that as well as finding Shiki, he had to defeat whatever Reaper was out to get the both of them. Which was what Neku didn't understand. Didn't the Reapers only attack them on the last day? Neku shrugged.

_Oh well. I'll figure it out later. Right now, I have to find Stalker before we both get erased-. _

'YO, WATCH OUT!'

Neku had only a split second to see that a skateboarder round about his age was flying towards him before he dived out the way, narrowly dodging being hit. The skateboarder attempted to swerve away from Neku only to lose his balance and jump off the skateboard causing it to crash into a wall.

_How come all the other Players I meet seem determined to ram into me? First Stalker, now this hooligan! _

'That was close, yo. You okay? I didn't mean to run into you.'

Neku turned to see the skateboarder as he picked himself up. The boy was around his age but was a tiny bit taller and rather muscular. He had blond hair that poked out of his black skull beanie and dark eyes that seemed to express even more emotion than Shiki's (which Neku didn't previously think was possible.) He wore a white sleeveless shirt, yellow trousers, red trainers and a black skull chain around his neck as well as a chain in his left trouser pocket.

Neku rolled his eyes. He'd bumped into another Player which he had been hoping to avoid.

_Great._

'You mean apart from the fact that you nearly ran me over? Yeah, I'm peachy.'

The other boy breathed a sigh of relief, obviously not picking up on Neku's sarcasm. 'That's good. I wasn't expecting another Player to know this route. I thought I was the only one who knew about this place, yo.'

Neku raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if it was now the new "cool" thing to end all your sentences with the word "yo" but it was getting on his nerves. 'Well, now you know you're not.' With that, Neku began to walk past the skater to continue his route to Cadoi City.

'Bwaaah! Hey, wait!' The skater quickly grabbed his skateboard and charged after Neku_. _

_Just like Stalker. Why can't anybody leave me alone? _

'Hey. Have you seen a girl? She's about that high, kind of looks a little like me and dresses a little like me. See, she's my Partner. I have to find her, yo.'

_And with such a detailed description, I obviously have a clue of who the hell you're talking about. _

'No, I haven't seen this girl you're describing.' Neku replied bluntly. 'Leave me alone.'

'Come on, yo! She's my little sister as well! I have to find her before the Reapers get her!'

'My heart bleeds for you.' Neku said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

'Thanks, but right know I really need to find her!' the skater said, again missing Neku's sarcasm. At least Shiki reacted when he was sarcastic. Neku wasn't sure what he hated more- Shiki's idealism or this Player evident stupidity.

'Look, I have to find my own Partner right now, so if you'll excuse me, I'm off.' Neku started off again only for the skater grab his shoulder.

_Stupid and persistent_. _This is going to be a pain. _

'Yo, hear me out, Phones!'

Neku started at the sound of the nickname only Mr H ever used. Everyone else who knew him either called him Neku or the "freak".

_Is this kid Scanning me? _

The thought was dismissed the moment it entered his head. Players shouldn't be able to Scan other Players. Neku's Scanning ability belong to him and not the Players' Pin so he could Scan Players if he wanted to. He just didn't see the point.

_I guess he and Mr H just think alike when it comes to giving people nicknames. _

'What?' Neku said, sighing. The skater shuffled on his feet.

'Look, yo. You're after your Partner too, right? We should look together. It'll take shorter time and you'll find them and I'll find Rhyme. Come on! Please! I'm begging you, yo.'

Oh, no. Not this again. Neku was at the end of his tether working Shiki as it was. If he co-operated with this idiot, he end up seriously considering allowing himself to get erased. 'No. I prefer to work alone. Good luck finding your sister.'

'What?! But if we don't find them, those Reapers will erase us and them. I can't let Rhyme down! Come on!'

As much as Neku wanted to just run and leave this simpleton, he did have a point. Two pairs of eyes were better than one and if they bumped into Noise, it would be better if he had some to help him beat the Noise until he could find Shiki. Plus this boy seemed to know Shibuya as well as he did, if not better. He might know some shortcuts that Neku himself didn't know.

'...Fine. I'll help you find your sister. But once we've found our Partners we're done. Clear?'

The skater punched the air. 'Yes! Hang in there, Rhyme! Thanks, Phones.'

Neku bristled again at the nickname and in his annoyance ended up doing an unintentional Scan on the boy which he quickly ended. 'My name is Neku. Don't call me Phones...Daisukenojo.'

The boy's reaction was immediate. 'Bwaaah! Where did you hear that name?! Don't use that name!'

'As much as I don't want and it sounds like I'm cursing you every time I say it, I don't really have a choice. It's your name. What I am supposed to call you?'

'Anything but that! Call me Beat, yo. Everyone calls me Beat.'

_Beat. Like dead beat stupid. _

'...Right. Anyway...Beat, I'm looking for my Partner who I think is in Cadoi City. Do you have any idea where your Partner is?'

Beat rubbed the back of his head. 'Not really, yo. I thought if I checked the whole of Shibuya I'd bump into her.'

_...Yep. He's a simpleton. Why did I agree to help him? _

'...Okay. I'm going to check Cadoi City then. Maybe you should come with me.'

'Sure. Hey, I even know a short cut to that place. It's this way, yo.' With that Beat jumped on his skateboard and speed off...in the opposite direction of the route.

'Wha-? Hey, wait! You're going the wrong way.' Neku speed after him.

_This had better be worth it._

...

'Neku! Neku! Neku, where are you?'

No response for the hundredth time. Shiki sighed. It hadn't taken her long to get to Scramble Crossing but by the time she got there, it seemed as if Neku had either gone or wasn't there in the first place because he didn't responded to her shouts and she couldn't see him in his headphones and huge collared shirt. Looks like Neku wasn't in Scramble Crossing after all. Where would he be then?

_Let's see. If I was Neku, were would I go looking? Maybe I should go to WildKat? No, he wouldn't go there. Argg! This is so frustrating! We should have traded phone numbers! _

'Err...excuse me.'

Shiki turned to see a girl much younger than her smiling sweetly up at her. She had light blue eyes and blond boyish hair that stuck out of a black beanie with a badge with a skull pinned onto it. She wore a long sleeved jumper with a heart-shaped skull and crossbones which her fingers poked out of, white shorts, black and yellow trainers and a bell pendant that hung around his neck.

'I'm looking for a boy. He's rather tall, probably riding his skateboard and wears a beanie with skull. Have you seen him?'

Shiki smiled back. This girl's smile was rather infectious.

'Sorry, I haven't seen a boy like that.'

The girl shrugged the cheerful expression still on her face. 'Oh well. Thanks anyway. I'll just have to keep trying. Quitters never win.'

Shiki looked at the girl curiously. Non-Players couldn't see Players so obviously this girl was a Player as well. Maybe she was looking for her Partner as well.

'Is this boy your Partner? Is that why you're looking for him?'

The girl nodded. 'Yeah. He's not just my Partner though. He's my big brother. We entered the Game together but...then this mission came up and we lost each other. I'm trying to find him because he has a terrible sense of direction.'

_Ah! That's so cute! They're so lucky that they managed to enter the Game together. _

'Oh, really? My Partner knows a lot about the Game but I don't really know that much. I thought he might be here but it seems he must have gone.'

'Oh. I might have seen him. What does he look like?'

'Well, he has orange hair and brown eyes. He's wearing headphones, a sleeveless black and purple shirt with a massive collar, matching shoes and white shorts. Have you seen him?'

The girl's eyes lit up. 'I did see him. He past here a few minutes ago. I can show you if you like.'

'Really?!' Shiki shouted, unable to contain her excitement. 'That would be great! Thank you.'

'No problem. I might bump into my brother along the way. Let's go. Haste make waste after all.'

Shiki followed the girl out of Scramble Crossing, happy to finally be on her way to completing her mission. 'By the way, my name's Shiki Misaki. What's yours?'

'My name's Raimu Bito but everyone calls me Rhyme. It's nice to meet you, Shiki.'

'It's nice to meet you too, Rhyme.'

...

'_Argg! Kariya! I was this close to getting a promotion! This had better be good!' _

_'Calm down, Uzuki. Trust me, this really is worth your while.' _

_'Spill it.' _

_'You know how all the Players that made Pacts have been separated from their Partners? There's this particular Player you should go for. You know the one in the headphones?' _

_'Oh. And why should I?' _

_'He's the Special Case.' _

_'So?' _

_'So...the Conductor is offering a promotion to the Reaper that can get him erased. Easy way to the top, I say.' _

_'You know what Kariya. You might be right. I should go after this boy.'_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi Guys. It's part two of the Day 4 mission and the first mission including Uzuki and Higashizawa. Again, I apologize if any of them seem a bit OOC but I try my best. Also, I kind of made up Rhyme's Pins power so if anyone finds out what it is, send me a review and I'll correct it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 7**

Neku panted as he struggled to keep up with Beat who was speeding down his route on his skateboard. For someone who wasn't that clever, he sure was fast. Neku just hoped that Beat knew where he was going. Beat might have claimed to know a short cut but Neku didn't see how this short cut would work since they were going the **opposite **direction.

_This idiot had better get me to Stalker! _

Neku checked the timer.

59:31

59:30

59:29

He didn't have much time now. Neku grit his teeth. He wasn't about to get erased by this one mission.

_I'm not going lose! _

Suddenly Beat's skateboard squeaked as he came to a stop allowing Neku to finally catching up with him. He paused to catch his breath looking up to see Beat looking at him with a confident and reassured smirk. 'I told you I knew a short cut, yo. See? Here we are.' Neku surveyed the area and blinked. This wasn't Cadoi City...

'...This is the Bus Terminal.'

'Yeah. I thought we could catch a bus to Cadoi City, yo. It would save us a lot of time.'

Neku felt like face palming.

_You have got to be kidding me. _

'That won't save time, you idiot! We'd have to wait for the bus! And this is the bus **terminal**, not the bus stop! This is where they park the buses, not pick people up! What do you want us to do? Steal the bus?!'

'Bwaaah! You're kidding, yo! Don't bus drivers park their buses in the car park?!'

'...' Neku hid his face in his collar. He couldn't believe it. He had the perfect route to Cadoi City but he just had to follow this simpleton to the Bus Terminal. That was the last time he did anything against his gut feeling.

_Great. Now, we're all going to get erased. Just great. _

'So now what are we going to do?! We have to find our Partners and defeat the Reaper before the timer runs out and we have less than an hour!'

'Relax, yo. Let's just go round Shibuya until we find them. We'll bump into them soon.'

'That was your plan last time and it didn't work!' Neku shouted tiredly 'What makes you think it'll work this time?'

'Well, quitters never win. That's what Rhyme says, yo.'

'...Somehow I don't think that's what Rhyme meant...'

Suddenly a giggle began to echo around the walls. 'My, Kariya was right. This will be an easy promotion.'

Kariya? The name sounded familiar but where had he heard it from...oh.

_Kariya was that Reaper Stalker and I met on the first day! That means... _

'Come out and face us, yo!' Beat challenged. A figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal a woman with short pink hair and light blue eyes. She wore a dark blue mini dress with sleeves that covered her hands forming into claw-like gloves, black shorts, white boots that reached just below the knees and a white belt on her dress. The odd black wings on her back confirmed Neku's suspicions.

_She's a Reaper. _

'Well, I just have to get you erased and my promotion is in the bag.'

Beat leapt in surprise as the Reaper appeared but stood his ground shaking his fist at her at the word "erased". 'You're not taking us down, Pinky! I'm going to find Rhyme and beat this stupid game, yo.'

_Pinky? Well, that's imaginative. _

'Leave my hair out this! Besides, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about your friend with the headphones.'

Neku started at the sound of his description. This Reaper was after him? 'Are you the Reaper that's after me and my Partner?'

'Your Partner? No. You, however, yes.'

Neku frowned. Okay, this was just weird. The mission mail had clearly said the Reaper was after them both. So why was this Reaper only interested in him?

'And why is that, pray tell?' Neku said with a sneer, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. The Reaper snarled, obviously angered at Neku's tone.

'Why I should tell you? You're about to be erased! I don't have to tell you anything.'

'Wow. You look so powerful. I shudder in fear.'

'You insolate little Player! Just because you're the Special Case, don't think you can talk to me like that!'

_Special Case? _

This Reaper looked like she had a short temper and it seemed like Neku was right as his plan to anger her until she revealed something had worked. But it didn't tell him much. Special Case? What was a Special Case?

The Reaper calmed down while Neku went over what she said and regained her composer. 'Besides you really think you beat me when you have no Partner. Players with no Partner hardly ever beat Reapers. You'll be erased before you can even use your Pin!'

'That's Players who are on their own, yo.' Beat suddenly shot up at Neku's side, his body language crying out his readiness to fight. 'You're going down.'

'...Stay out this, Beat. This is my fight. She wants me.'

'No way, yo! We teamed up! Let's plough this Reaper!'

_We're Partners. We have to survive this. __**Together. **_

_Just like Stalker. _

Neku sighed. He was surrounded by stupid idealists. But he supposed his chances of beating the Reaper on his own were slim. '...It's your funeral. Let's do this.'

...

'Rhyme, are you sure this is where Neku went?'

Shiki didn't mean to sound doubtful of Rhyme's memory. She just found it unlikely that Neku would come looking for her in a dark alley.

'Well, I remember seeing him turn in this direction but I lost sight of him afterwards.' Rhyme admitted. 'He seemed to be heading towards Cadoi City.'

'Huh? But isn't there another way to Cadoi City?'

'Yeah, but there's a shortcut in this alley for people who know it. Beat and I tend to use it a lot.'

'Oh, okay.' Shiki didn't want to seem like a coward but she never liked going into alleyways. She and Eri tended to stick with bright street paths partly because Shiki had a rather irrational fear that someone was going to end up mugging them if they went in the alley. But seeing how the Game made them invisible to any would-be mugger, Shiki couldn't see why not. If it would get her to Neku faster.

'Lead the way, Rhyme.'

'And where do you think you're going, young ladies?' Shiki and Rhyme jumped at the sound of the voice and turn to see where it was coming from. A large and bulky man with brown deadlock which hide glowing eyes stood in front of them. He wore a white and grey mottled jacket, blue jeans with a belt with a ram's head and black and green trainers. The same odd wings Shiki remembered seeing on that Reaper she and Neku meet on the first day draped on his shoulders. If he had the same type of wings as that Reaper than that meant...

_He's a Reaper?! But...he's __**huge**__! Not to mention creepy looking! How are we suppose to beat this guy?! _

'What do we have here? More ingredients to add to my recipe. You two don't seem like Partners. After all, everyone knows that your Partner is the spicy tuna roll, girly.'

Shiki frowned. Ingredients? Recipe? Spicy tuna roll?

_Is there a particular reason why this Reaper seems to have an obsession with food? Anyway, what did he mean by my Partner...oh! _

'Neku! How come you know about Neku?' Shiki was also tempted to ask about why the Reaper had referred to him as "spicy tuna roll" but that didn't take priority.

'See that spicy tuna roll is the "Special Case" and he's going to be getting deep fried by a lot of Reapers. Shame you ended up being his Partner, girly. Now you have to get erased so we can erase him.'

Shiki gritted her teeth. 'Not if I have a say in any of this! Mr Mew!' Mr Mew pounced at Shiki's side at her command. An expression of shock passed the Reaper's face but it soon turned to amusement.

'Are you challenging me, girly? Fine. I'll char your bones black!'

Suddenly Noise began to appear around Shiki and Rhyme. Shiki saw the Reaper's smirk and it hit her.

_He's commanding the Noise! Oh, well. I beat them once with Neku. I can beat them again. _

'Be careful, Shiki. Fools rush in, don't forget.' Rhyme raced up to her side, bracing herself for the fight, much to Shiki's shock. Rhyme looked up and smiled sweetly at Shiki's bemused expression. 'Well for the time being we're Partners. So we should watch each other's backs and fight together. Divided houses do fall.'

Shiki smiled back as she turned to face the Noise. 'Thanks Rhyme. Let's do this!'

...

'Take that, yo!' Beat whirled around though the air, his skateboard ramming into all the lager Noise. If Neku thought that the Pins couldn't do anything weirder than bring Shiki's Mr Mew to life, he was defiantly taking that back. Beat's Pin seemed to transform his skateboard into a flying moving weapon which he easily rammed into all the Noise he could as he did kick flips, aerials and all sorts of tricks Neku didn't even know existed on the board.

_Why do I always team up with people with crazy Pin psyches? _

Still, the help was welcome. The Noise that this Reaper had summoned was tougher than the average Noise and there was no way Neku could beaten them all with just his fire Pin. Heck, even with Beat's help, they were still struggling to beat all these Noise. As Neku lit up the last of the Noise corning him and Beat grinded the last of the Noise foolish enough to try and cross, more began to creep out toward them, eager for their turn of the fight.

'...Damn! How many of them are there?!' Beat complained as he and Neku braced themselves for another round.

'The Noise obey the Reaper.' Neku explained through his pants. 'Until there aren't any more in the area, they going to keep coming.'

The Reaper giggled. 'No wonder you're the Special Case. You seem to know a lot about the Game. No matter. You're going to get erased and tada! Promotion here I come!'

Beat gritted his teeth. 'Dammit! We don't have time for this, yo!'

_That has to be the first correct statement I've heard you say all day. _

Neku checked the timer on his hand.

45:49

45:48

45:47

Beat was right. They didn't have time for this. They didn't just have to beat the Reaper. They had to find their Partners as well. At this rate, they won't have done either. Neku sighed as the Noise began to edge closer. He had a plan but he wasn't sure if it was going to work. Or if Beat would actually follow out his plan. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

_This had better work. _

'Beat...I have a plan that may allow us to get to our Partners and complete this mission. But you have to make this and you can't mess up or we'll get erased.'

'Just tell me, yo! If you'll get me to Rhyme I'll follow it!' Beat attempted to whisper back.

_Well that was the general idea. _

Neku whispered quickly into Beat's ear and saw Beat's eyes go wide. 'Bwaaah! That's your plan?! We'll never make it, Phones!'

'Can you come up with something better?' Neku shot back.

Beat thought for a moment before he answered with a rather sheepish 'Not really, yo.' That's what Neku thought.

'Alright. On the count of three.' Neku ordered, the Noise creeping ever closer. 'One.'

The Noise stopped and began to crouch, ready to pounce on their prey.

'Two.'

Beat dug his foot into the skateboard and Neku braced himself ready for the attack.

'...Three!'

The Noise leapt on towards them only for Neku to flick his wrist, sending them howling back as they were set alight. Beat leapt up on his skateboard, grinding on the backs of some of the larger Noise and jumping off. Both boys pushed past the rest of the Noise and raced past the rather shocked and bemused Reaper. 'Sorry! Got to bounce!' Neku shouted over his shoulder as he and Beat raced down the street towards Cadoi City.

'Wha-What?! The Reaper growled as she saw her chances of a promotion slipping away. 'Get them!' The Noise followed Neku and Beat as they charged down the street.

'What now, Phones?' Beat asked over his shoulder.

'Now, we pray we get to our Partners in time.' Neku replied.

...

Shiki panted as the Noise circled her and Rhyme for another round. She didn't quite remember the Noise being this tough when she and Neku had dealt them last time.

_Maybe it's because this Reaper is controlling them? _

The Noise bounced at the girls forcing Shiki to react. 'Go, Mr Mew!' Mr Mew obediently leapt towards the Noise, his invisible claws ploughing through the Noise, causing them to disintegrate. Suddenly, a Noise pounced on Shiki from a blind spot. The Noise was suddenly blown away with a sudden gust of wind causing Shiki to turn and see the soruce of the gust- Rhyme. 'Thanks.'

'No problem.'

Both girls turned to see the Reaper chuckling. Shiki groaned inwardly. Surely there couldn't be any more Noise, could there?

'Not bad, girlies. That's almost impressive. But you're in my kitchen and I still have a few things cooking for you.'

Larger Noise began to crawl towards Shiki and Rhyme, leaving the girls little time to catch their breath. Shiki gulped. This was bad. They weren't any closer to finishing and they still had no idea where Neku or Rhyme's brother were. If they weren't careful, they'd run out of time.

_Calm down, Shiki. Focus on the fight. You can do this. We can beat them. _

A scream chilled Shiki's bones as she turned to see Rhyme being held down on the floor by one Noise as the others began to edge towards her to finish her off.

_This is bad! _

'Mr Mew!' The doll leapt towards the Noise, only for the other Noise to bar the way. Shiki bit her lip as Mr Mew clawed his way towards Rhyme.

_No...I'm not going to make it! _

'RHYME! Leave her alone, yo!'

Suddenly a skateboarder flew over her head, over Mr Mew and the Noise he was fighting and landing on top of the Noise trapping Rhyme under its foot. The skateboarder grinded down the Noise's back and kick flipped the Noise in the face causing the Noise to disintegrate just as Mr Mew finished off the other Noise. Rhyme looked up to see her rescuer and smiled brightly. 'Beat!' The skateboarder smiled at Rhyme and helped her up to her feet. Shiki smiled.

_So that's her brother._

'Sorry it took me so long to get her, Rhyme.' Beat apologized 'I got pounced by some Noise but me and Phones showed them.'

Shiki's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sound of the familiar nickname. Phones? Did he mean...

'We would have gotten here sooner if you hadn't taken us to the Bus Terminal,' a familiar voice muttered behind Shiki 'and if you hadn't left me to deal with all those Noise.'

It was!

Shiki smiled as she turned to see...

'Neku! You're okay.'

Neku nodded as he walked up to join Shiki and the Bito siblings. 'Hello, Stalker. It's good to know you can survive a few minutes without getting erased.'

_Who would have thought I'd ever be so glad to hear that nickname? _

'Well, I had a little help from my new friend Rhyme. Isn't it funny how we ended up teaming up into two different Players that happened to be Partners?'

'Yes, hilarious. Forgive me for not laughing with joy but we have really big problems right now.'

Shiki frowned. They'd all found their Partners. What problems could possibly they have?

'Huh? What's wrong?'

Beat shuffled his feet. 'Umm, well you see...Phones and I didn't defeat all the Noise, yo. We kind of "bounced."'

_Bounced? _

Suddenly some of the smaller weaker Noise began to crawl towards them, edging towards Neku and Beat.

_Oh! Bounced! _

'I see. Well, now we're all together, this can't be a problem. Right?' Mr Mew drew back at Shiki's feet, waiting for her next order. Neku sighed and rolled his eyes as he come to her side, flames licking around his fingers. 'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's just avoid getting erased.'

'Alright, yo! Let's do this!' Beat cheered as he jumped onto his skateboard.

Rhyme raced to his side, her stance defensive. 'Careful, Beat. Fools rush in, remember.' The Noise bounced towards them only for them to howl in pain as Neku's flames around them, Mr Mew scratched them out and Beat and Rhyme grinded and blew the Noise away as they drew near.

...

Neku leaned the wall, panting hard while opposite him Shiki was checking over Mr Mew and Beat and his little sister Rhyme were talking to each other. Neku looked at his timer to find it had disappeared from his hand.

_Day Four complete. _

There was still something that bugged Neku do. The Reaper had disappeared when he and Beat had finally managed to find their Partners and he wasn't quite sure what she had meant by him being a "Special Case". What was the "Special Case"? Why did the Reapers seem to take an interest in them? And why was **he **the "Special Case"? Neku sighed. Maybe Mr H would know. He should ask him at some point.

'Neku? Are you alright?' Neku looked up to see Shiki looking at him with concern. Looks like he had blanked her out.

'...I'm fine. Just thinking.'

'Hey, Phones.'

Neku and Shiki turned to face Beat and Rhyme.

'...I just wanted say...thanks, man. Thanks for helping me find Rhyme. And thanks to you Shiki, for looking after her, yo.'

'And I should thank you to Neku.' Rhyme said, smiling 'For getting my brother here. Like I said, Beat has a terrible sense of direction.'

'Bwaaah! Rhyme! That's not true, yo!'

'Oh? What about that time when you tried to get to the Scramble Crossing and you ended up on Cat Street?'

'Bwaaah! That doesn't count!'

The bemused look on Beat's face caused Shiki and Rhyme to burst out giggling, triggering a memory Neku had tried to forget, his head filled with laughter and familiar smiles standing side by side Shiki, Rhyme and Beat. For one moment Neku felt a flicker of happiness, a ghost of a smile touching his face.

Then Neku checked himself and shook his head. Not now. He couldn't think about that now.

_...I can't afford to lose. I have to survive. _

Neku turned. That was enough fun for today. Tomorrow was another day in the Game. '...Come on, Stalker. Let's go.'

'Hmm, Neku? I was thinking...

_Oh boy. _

'...that maybe we should team with Beat and Rhyme. I mean we only managed to get through this mission by co-operating so...'

'Yeah, that's a great idea. Strength does exist in numbers. We should team up.'

'Yeah! I'm all in for this, yo. We can kick all those Noise and Reapers into next week.'

'...' Neku was close to face palming for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He was teaming up?! With more people?!

_Someone out there is getting a real kick out of this, I swear. _

Neku gave up. Even if he did disagree, it was going to be one against three and he wasn't actually keen on starting an argument. Still, he couldn't believe this was happening. '...Fine. We'll team up.'

Beat's face lit up. 'Alright! I knew you'd like the idea, Phones!'

'Don't call me Phones...Daisukenojo.'

'Bwaaah! I said don't say that name!'

'...That's a...very unique and interesting name, Beat.'

'Don't sugar-coat it, Stalker. Be honest. The name sounds like someone cursing.'

'Bwaaah! You're making this even worse, yo!'

'Relax, Beat. The worst critic can be yourself. Don't feel embarrassed. It's a wonderful name.'

'Says the person who our parents gave a normal name! Don't rub it in, yo.'

Neku rolled his eyes as Beat began to widly protest the girls tried to make him feel better about his name.

_This is going to be interesting._


End file.
